Description
A creamy, comforting Cottage Cheese Alfredo Pasta featuring a smooth cottage cheese sauce combined with parmesan, garlic, and olive oil. This easy stovetop recipe includes tender broccoli for added nutrition and flavor, topped with fresh parsley and optional red pepper flakes for a touch of heat.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta and Vegetables
- 250 g dry pasta
- 2 cups broccoli (finely chopped)
- â…“ cup reserved pasta water
Sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 500 g cottage cheese (4% fat for creamiest texture)
- ½ cup parmesan cheese (grated)
- 2 cloves garlic (pressed)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Garnish (Optional)
- ¼ cup fresh parsley (chopped)
- Red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Cook Pasta and Broccoli: Boil salted water and cook the dry pasta according to package instructions. Reserve â…“ cup of the pasta water before draining. Steam the chopped broccoli until tender, then quickly transfer it to ice water to stop cooking. Drain and set aside.
- Prepare Cottage Cheese Sauce: In a food processor or high-powered blender, combine olive oil, cottage cheese, grated parmesan, pressed garlic, salt, and black pepper. Blend everything until the sauce is completely smooth.
- Combine Sauce with Pasta: Warm the cottage cheese sauce in a pan over low heat, ensuring it doesn’t get too hot to prevent breaking. Slowly add the reserved pasta water and stir to integrate the sauce. Mix in the cooked pasta and steamed broccoli, stirring until the pasta is fully coated with the creamy sauce.
- Garnish and Serve: Plate the pasta and garnish with chopped fresh parsley and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for a mild spicy kick if desired. Serve immediately while warm.
Notes
- Use low heat when warming the cottage cheese sauce to avoid curdling or separating.
- Reserving pasta water helps loosen the sauce and improves its texture.
- Broccoli can be substituted or added with other vegetables like spinach or mushrooms.
- Using 4% fat cottage cheese yields the creamiest sauce; lower fat cottage cheese may result in a less creamy texture.
- For a smoother sauce, blend the sauce ingredients thoroughly until fully emulsified.
